Kesterite compounds, such as those containing copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), tin (Sn), and at least one of sulfur (S) and selenium (Se) (also referred to herein as “CZTS/Se” films), are promising semiconductors for future large-scale photovoltaic applications. However, the loss of volatile Sn compounds during the thermal processing (typically above 500° C.) necessary to obtain highly crystalline materials is a major challenge for thin kesterite film fabrication, potentially limiting the performance of this technology. Sn loss has been observed with all reported annealing approaches, such as tubular furnaces, hot plate annealing and rapid thermal annealing.
Therefore, improved annealing techniques for kesterite materials would be desirable.